I recently went on an Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans. The culture and the social life down there are more than exemplary. Walking down the French Quarter while snacking on a beignet just filled me with absolute joy. I was able to breathe the culture of New Orleans and get in touch with the Cajun experience. I got my tarot card reading from a psychic in the French Quarter, went on a haunted history tour of the city and explored the swamps of Louisiana. My time down in New Orleans was filled with excitement and fun, yet not all this fun came from beads and jazz music. While down in New Orleans, several other gentlemen from different fraternities on campus volunteered at an establishment called The Green Project. After Katrina, many individuals and families needed to redesign and remodel their homes, yet they were fixed on a budget. The Green Project had many recycled supplies and furnishings that were still in above average condition for an affordable cost. The gentlemen and I worked eight hours a day for three days. We were each separated into three groups to work on different projects. The three tasks we were given were recycling paint, working in the lumber yard or working in the warehouse. I was given the paint recycling project, but it's not what I did that really impacted me. It was who I got to meet and got to know. I have to thank my humbling and extraordinary New Orleans (NOLA) experience to four wonderful men. Joshua: Joshua was a very rational character who didn't often understand social cues or jokes. Even so, he did have an incredibly interesting outlook on dogs, which he related back to human beings. Once in a discussion, Joshua mentioned that his dog Betty was his life. She is everything to him because she was there when he hitchhiked and was the only one who truly understood him. I asked him what kind of dog she was, and he replied, "A good one." I asked again, and gave me the same response. Turns out, he does not classify dogs by their breeds because he doesn't like the stigma most breeds get associated with. Although this sounded silly when he said it, he mentioned how he saw humans the same way. To him, putting someone in a bubble is not fair to them, nor is it fair to yourself. By classifying a person by their race or personality, it prevents someone from actually surprising the world with the wonders they might have. By placing a person in a box of stereotypes, you're not allowing them to be an individual; you're trying to make them what you think is socially right. Joshua looked straight at me and said, "People automatically assume you're a genius because you're Asian, but in reality you must have a talent that other Asians don't possess." Jonathan: Jonathan is a local musician down in NOLA, and he loves his life there. He spoke of all the gigs he's played and who he's ever met. I asked him about his career as a musician, and what it was like. He spoke of just living his life. To him, music wasn't his career, but what he dreamt of and loved. He said, "New Orleans is one of the only places you can be happy as a musician without being famous." He said he once dreamt of being famous and being part of a nationally recognized band. Yet, after his first band broke up, he realized he was surrounded by adoring fans already doing what he loved. He left soon after and made me wonder: Why should someone strive so hard for a life with no privacy or true adoration when they are surrounded by fans and love already? Lance: Lance rekindled a fading and old fire within me. My relationship with my parents is a difficult and struggling road, but Lance taught me why I should keep walking down it and fixing it as I walk. Lance and his mother were firsthand victims of Katrina. They lost almost everything. After spending a week in the filthy feces-ridden SuperDome, bus rides were offered to everyone for evacuation and a temporary safe haven while the city was being rebuilt. The first bus offered was only for women and children heading to Texas, and Lance's mother was stepping forward for the bus, but Lance pulled her back. Lance was the only thing she had, and he needed to take care of her, so he told her to come with him when the time was right. A bus to Oklahoma was offered and both Lance and his mother took the opportunity. Lance knew he and his mother should not be separated. All they had was each other. Lance loves his mom, and told me he would do anything for her. The commitment and love he showed for his mother made me feel poorly about my relationship with mine. Billy Boulden: Now, I had already known Billy from the beginning of the semester, and as the adviser for the Inter-Fraternity Council at Longwood. However, this trip helped me become better acquainted with Billy and his views on things. Billy helped me understand what it truly meant to be a fraternity man. He helped reassure why I decided to join a social Greek organization and what I could possibly get out of it. Now, my discussions with Billy are confidential, but I will let you know what I have learned from him. Life is a rollercoaster, and we're forever experiencing the ups, downs, twists and turns the tracks have aligned for us. We have to appreciate the little things and grab hold of them before they get blown out of our hands. We should never budge and never give into anything that makes us feel uncomfortable. We are the only ones who should make the final decision. Go for what you think is right and don't give into fear. You won't grow as an individual if you don't go for it. Overall, my trip down to New Orleans was life-changing and beneficial. I may have come back with beads and fun stories, but I returned a wise and proud individual as well.
